Last week we shared some discussion highlights from our online Certified BrainPOP Educator course. We’re excited to continue the series with more thoughts and ideas from our future CBEs. As part of the online course, we take a deep dive into game-based learning and explore BrainPOP’s playful assessment tools like Time Zone X and SnapThought. Participants are assigned a specific SnapThought game and are asked to play as if they’re students. They’re then tasked with playing Time Zone X with a partner to observe the benefits of partner play in the classroom. Here’s what our future CBEs have to say about BrainPOP’s playful assessment tools.

SnapThought in Action

“Learning tools like SnapThought allow the learner to reflect on the game they are playing and think about what they are learning. Often, online learning games focus on developing proficiency in basic skills and lack the reflection component. When given time to reflect on the game, the student is more likely to retain the information they learned from the game. SnapThought also gives the learner the opportunity to share with their teacher their thoughts on what they are learning. The ability for the student and teacher to communicate with each other through the SnapThought tool provides unique and individualized opportunities for learning that the student & teacher may not have had in a traditional classroom environment.” -Kathleen Weil

“This tool helps make students’ thinking visible and tangible: they can take a visual and write something that is meaningful at the time (something they figured out, a mistake to iterate from, their understanding, their success…). The teacher can ask the students to take a snapshot in the beginning and ask them to think about what could happen next (they inquire, make assumptions, use their imagination…). Also, their assumption can be wrong but then it becomes an opportunity to reflect! Explaining your thinking is not easy but it’s a skill that is required and this tool helps practice this skill.” – Fanny Passeport

“I’m really excited about implementing the SnapThought tool. If I assign a game, I’m always wondering if the students learned anything about the concept or idea I am trying to teach. I want to know if the game is an effective tool, and that it was beneficial and not just a filler for when the movie is done. I also want to know what my students are thinking, and a quiz doesn’t always show that. I want to know if there are misconceptions, and how I can help redirect their learning. I think that it will also help the students take a step back and absorb their learning. Reflection will also help them review ideas and test what they know. I can also use it as a formative assessment.” -Kena Pinedo

“SnapThought is great way to increase learning through games because of it’s promotion of metacognition- students are encouraged to think about their thinking (reflect). It’s also a wonderful opportunity to allow students to communicate. In watching these videos, it reiterated the idea of giving students a unique voice. By this I mean, so often there seems to be “one” way or the “right” way in terms of content- however, with SnapThought students are able to communicate their findings and justify their reasoning and rationale to promote “out-side-of-the-box” ideas.” – Sarah Webster

“The SnapThought tool is a great way for students to reflect on their learning process, synthesize ideas and communicate thought processes with others (teacher). I love the idea of students giving a “Picto Think Aloud” of their new understandings. This give the teacher the opportunity to provide feedback, clear up misconceptions and clarify understandings while differentiating support as needed as students gain and practice new learning.” -Jessie Erickson

Valuable Takeaways from TimeZone X

“So I made my 12 year old son, Max, play Time Zone X with me. We decided on Architecture because he loves that topic. I am going to admit that he rocked the assignment and I might have held him back. The discussion back and forth was incredible and one I would hope to see in a classroom. It allowed for us the challenge each other’s thinking and ask why. It seems like each time I asked, why would you put it there, Max’s reasoning was spot on looking closely at clues and years. I clearly found out that I am not smarter than a 7th grader! We did however have great discussion and worked on our problem solving skills. Can’t wait to introduce this tool to my teachers!” – Samantha Knoll

“During the game I had to carefully examine the screens to better understand what I needed to do. The game was far harder if I did not read the full text of each “topic”. My students like to guess and check and that strategy is really ineffective in TZX. We practiced putting things in chronological order and we also found ourselves looking at the topics to see if it was making a logical progression. For example, a law passing would come before its repeal. This also caused us to use the vocabulary associated with the topic throughout the lesson and ultimately persuade one another of our thinking. Socially I would be really happy too if my students made their points and worked together without getting angry or raising their voices. We will rehearse how to solve problems when you play with a partner and disagree before we begin playing in groups.” – Greg Kocourek

“Once I realized that this was a timeline/historical events game I knew my husband would be a rock star because this is just up his alley and was his major in college so I knew that I needed to “step my game up”.

Academic skills that were present during this playful assessment were: oral language, vocabulary, writing, and making predictions.

Oral language or having a discussion with your partner allows the teacher to have earlier lessons on being respectful to others opinions, making eye contact and responding in kind ways if you disagree on an item or choice. Vocabulary played a huge role in this game because you had to really dissect the description each tile they gave you. Writing was used when taking a snapshot of what you felt needed clarification and this game also was all about making academic predictions of where each tile would go next.” – Melissa Murray

“I played Time Zone X with my daughter who is in 7th grade. We chose to play the American Revolution because she is studying it in class. I liked the conversation we had to figure out where the cards should be placed. We looked for important dates and names and then she recalled facts from other media sources she had experienced in class. A few times we placed a card wrong and then after talked a bit about why that didn’t work. We were able to see the wrong in our thinking and reflect back on facts that should have helped us in the placing of the cards.” – Suzanne Gudjonis

Be sure to visit the blog later this month for even more ideas from future CBEs!

We’re excited to announce two new additions to BrainPOP Jr.: the Ideaphora®-powered Make-a-Map and SnapThought!

Make-a-MapWith Make-a-Map officially available on BrainPOP Jr., K-3 students can construct concept maps in order to organize and display their knowledge. They can connect images, keywords, and clips from our movies; add their own ideas to their maps; and even write notes about their thought process. Put Make-a-Map to use in the classroom and beyond, from note-taking and research to problem-solving and brainstorming.

New to concept mapping? Need a refresher? No problem! Check out BrainPOP Jr.’s new Concept Maps topic as well as the tutorials we’ve put together on here on BrainPOP Educators. We’ll also host a March 30th webinar dedicated to Make-a-Map on BrainPOP Jr. Get the details and register here.

Through My BrainPOP, students can submit their maps and you can provide feedback on them. If you’re not using My BrainPOP, don’t worry. Your students can still take advantage of Make-a-Map; their work just won’t be submittable or save-able.

SnapThoughtSnapThought is also now available on our K-3 resource. Enabled on select GameUp games, it allows students to take up to five snapshots during any moment of game play, and to make notes on what they’ve done.

Students can submit their annotated screenshots to a teacher through My BrainPOP; teachers can then view the snapshots, write a response, and send it back!

Give Make-a-Map and SnapThought on BrainPOP Jr. a try and let know what you think! We’d love to hear your feedback. Feel free to email us at educators@brainpop.com.

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/2016/03/14/introducing-make-map-snapthought-brainpop-jr/feed/0My BrainPOP Highlightshttps://educators.brainpop.com/printable/my-brainpop-highlights/
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 20:18:58 +0000https://educators.brainpop.com/?post_type=printable&p=129640Curious about the My BrainPOP features? Find out what’s included when students and teachers have their own individual accounts.

]]>See What’s New with BrainPOP This Summer–in Person!https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/06/04/see-whats-new-with-brainpop-in-person-this-summer/
https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/06/04/see-whats-new-with-brainpop-in-person-this-summer/#respondThu, 04 Jun 2015 11:00:07 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?p=119930Catch up with BrainPOP this summer! We're heading to some awesome education conferences throughout the season, and we'd love to connect with you there!

Catch up with BrainPOP this summer: we’re heading to some awesome education conferences throughout the season, and we’d love to connect with you there!

If you’ll be attending any of the conferences we’re at, stop by our booth in the exhibit hall for a free demonstration of new tools (like Make-A-Map and SnapThought) or existing BrainPOP features you’ve been wanting to familiarize yourself with (like GameUp or the new primary sources for movie topics.)

Also, be sure to check the conference session schedule, as we may be offering BrainPOP-based sessions designed to help you utilize your subscription to the fullest.

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/06/04/see-whats-new-with-brainpop-in-person-this-summer/feed/0Why Use Playful Assessments?https://educators.brainpop.com/video/use-playful-assessments/
https://educators.brainpop.com/video/use-playful-assessments/#commentsThu, 07 May 2015 17:20:30 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?post_type=video&p=120137Originally Recorded April 2015 “Assessment” is a word we tend to associate more with “boring but reliable” than “engaging for students.” But it may be time to rethink that. We welcome Kevin Miklasz, BrainPOP Assessment Specialist, for a discussion of the interplay between grit, interest, curiosity, student knowledge and assessment design. Kevin will shed light... See more »

“Assessment” is a word we tend to associate more with “boring but reliable” than “engaging for students.” But it may be time to rethink that. We welcome Kevin Miklasz, BrainPOP Assessment Specialist, for a discussion of the interplay between grit, interest, curiosity, student knowledge and assessment design. Kevin will shed light on the value of play in assessments of student learning, exploring the selection of playful assessment tools we currently offer, including Make-a-Map, Sortify, SnapThought® and others in the pipeline!

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/video/use-playful-assessments/feed/1Heading to a conference? So are we!https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/05/07/heading-to-a-conference-so-are-we/
https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/05/07/heading-to-a-conference-so-are-we/#respondThu, 07 May 2015 04:00:00 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?p=119924If you’re planning to attend any of these fantastic education conferences in May or June, we’d love to connect with you! Stop by our booth in the exhibit hall for a free demonstration of new tools (like Make-A-Map and SnapThought) or existing BrainPOP features you’ve been wanting to familiarize yourself with (like GameUp or the... See more »

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/2015/05/07/heading-to-a-conference-so-are-we/feed/0Get Up and Running with My BrainPOPhttps://educators.brainpop.com/video/get-up-and-running-with-my-brainpop/
https://educators.brainpop.com/video/get-up-and-running-with-my-brainpop/#commentsMon, 13 Apr 2015 20:22:54 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?post_type=video&p=119394Simplify the way you keep track of learning with the “My BrainPOP” suite of features. Customize assessments; see quiz scores and class-wide analysis; review student concept maps; provide feedback on learning artifacts from games and activities; manage your classes; and more! Join us as we cover the ins and outs of My BrainPOP and show... See more »

Simplify the way you keep track of learning with the “My BrainPOP” suite of features. Customize assessments; see quiz scores and class-wide analysis; review student concept maps; provide feedback on learning artifacts from games and activities; manage your classes; and more! Join us as we cover the ins and outs of My BrainPOP and show you how to get started with its offerings.

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/video/get-up-and-running-with-my-brainpop/feed/5GameUp SnapThought Step Guidehttps://educators.brainpop.com/printable/gameup-snapthought-step-guide/
https://educators.brainpop.com/printable/gameup-snapthought-step-guide/#respondThu, 14 Aug 2014 15:45:48 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?post_type=printable&p=48616This step guide will walk you through the process of using the SnapThought tool to help students reflect on key moments of certain games on GameUp.

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/printable/gameup-snapthought-step-guide/feed/0My BrainPOP is YOUR BrainPOPhttps://educators.brainpop.com/2013/12/23/brainpop-brainpop/
https://educators.brainpop.com/2013/12/23/brainpop-brainpop/#respondMon, 23 Dec 2013 11:15:05 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?p=42078If you haven’t already begun using our newest feature – My BrainPOP – it’s a great time to get started! Developed with the close input of teachers like you, My BrainPOP simplifies both teachers’ and students’ ability to keep track of learning. Students using My BrainPOP can see a history of the movies they’ve watched,... See more »

If you haven’t already begun using our newest feature – My BrainPOP – it’s a great time to get started! Developed with the close input of teachers like you, My BrainPOP simplifies both teachers’ and students’ ability to keep track of learning.

Students using My BrainPOP can see a history of the movies they’ve watched, quizzes they’ve taken and activities they’ve tackled. They’re also able to capture and reflect on key moments in game play – then share with you for feedback – thanks to the new SnapThought™ tool on a selection of GameUp titles.

As a teacher, you get updates on your students’ activity and the ability to provide them with feedback. Additionally, you can now create custom BrainPOP quizzes, with various question types, using the Mixer. And there’s more to come.

My BrainPOP is available to teachers with a 24/7 School subscription. You’ll just need a verified BrainPOP Educator account. If you don’t already have one, it’s easy to set up – and free! Once that’s taken care of, getting set up with My BrainPOP is a snap.

Explore the supporting resources we’ve put together to help – or get in touch!

]]>https://educators.brainpop.com/2013/12/23/brainpop-brainpop/feed/0SnapThought, a Written Reflection Toolhttps://educators.brainpop.com/video/snapthought-written-reflection-tool/
https://educators.brainpop.com/video/snapthought-written-reflection-tool/#commentsFri, 18 Oct 2013 19:58:14 +0000http://educators.brainpop.com/?post_type=video&p=39567This screencast illustrates how students can take screenshots and write reflections on key moments of certain games on GameUp. The SnapThought™ tool is available for 24/7 BrainPOP school subscribers who use My BrainPOP.

This screencast illustrates our written reflection tool. Learn how students can take screenshots and write comments on key moments of game play within a selection of GameUp titles. The SnapThought tool is part of the My BrainPOP suite of features.